Taught to Live
by VampireQueen21
Summary: Sequel to Learning to Deal. Ten years has past since Learning to Deal. This is a brief look on their lives now. 2nd in Living Again Trilogy.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Taught to Live

Trilogy: _Living Again Trilogy_

Placement: Story 2 of 3

Author: Dez/Jezebel Jinx/VampireQueen21

Rating: Teen/Mature

Pairings: Rath/Liz (Chpt 2), Maria/Zan (Chpt 3), Ava/Kyle (Chpt 1), and Lonnie/Alex (Chpt 4)

Summary: Ten years has past since _Learning to Deal_. This is a brief look on their lives now.

A.N. I wasn't going to write this one, I had already started working on _They're Back_ which is set 20 years in the future, but this was bugging me to be written.

Disclaimer: I own nothing I swear. If I did own it Roswell would have turned out a whole lot different.

Chapter 1 of 4 (Kyle/Ava)

_Saturday; July 17, 2010; 10:30 a.m._

Ava stood up on a chair reaching up to attach the streamer up onto the ceiling. She and Kyle were setting the house up for Logan and Gambit's birthday party this afternoon. Kyle's favorite comic book superheroes were the X-Men; he showed his appreciation for his favorite characters by giving their first sons the names Logan and Gambit.

Kyle was out getting more balloons and streamers for the party; Lonnie was picking up the cake, while Liz and Maria were taking care of her two birthday boys. It's hard to believe that ten years ago her only aspiration was to be Zan's Queen and produce heirs, but arriving in Roswell changed her and everyone's lives, for the better. Where before she and her alien family lived in the rat-infested sewers, now they live in nice homes, have wives or husbands, and wonderful children.

After Kyle graduated high school he took her out to his mother's farm about twenty miles away from Roswell, when his mother was killed in the car crash she left him her parents farm, which was left to her after they died. While there he proposed to her, weird huh, he proposed when he graduated, a little unconventional but she didn't care.

At first she was nervous about accepting his proposal, Ava knew she loved Kyle, there was no question of that but did she want to marry him? It took her only ten seconds to decide she wanted to marry Kyle, where would she ever find someone that fit her as well as he did.

A car entered the driveway, she peeked through the sheer thin white curtains, Lonnie's dark green Camaro had pulled in behind her silver Honda Civic. When Lonnie reached the front door Ava yelled out to her friend to come on in. The brunette hybrid opened the screen door carrying the cake for the twins. Much to Kyle's displeasure the boys wanted a Spiderman cake, and Kyle was very vocal about not liking Spiderman. She thought it was hilarious.

"Where do you want the cake?" Lonnie held up the box filled with a Spiderman chocolate cake. She took in all the decorations Ava put up, Ava had poured all her love and devotion to her children into the decorations.

Ava's always devoted to her families, whether they were her alien or biological, she would always and had always given her everything. Blue and red streamers go from the various sides of the room to the middle; balloons were scattered around the room and over the ceiling. "Don't you think you're going a little over board with the decorations and stuff?" Lonnie questioned.

"Why?" Ava turned on the chair. "This isn't a whole lot, trust me I could go a whole lot crazier. Ponies were going to be apart of this whole thing but Kyle cut me off at the Spiderman colored streamers and Spiderman party plates and cups…"

"And the wrapping paper and the napkins and the little sticky Spiderman's on the window." Lonnie teased her long time friend.

Seeing Lonnie was still holding the cake box Ava told her to put it in the fridge, she didn't want the boys to see it yet. After Lon came back into the living room she helped Ava set up the rest of the party stuff so it could go faster.

Ava and Lonnie were completely involved with putting the rest of the decorations up that they never saw or heard Kyle enter the home. At least not until they heard the bag full of more streamers and balloons Ava asked for fall to the floor with a loud thump. Kyle tried to speak but there was something blocking his speech…it was called shock. Never before had he had so much Spiderman decorated things in his home. "Oh Buddha, the things I do for my children." He mumbled.

"What is it with you two this is not overboard. This is loving and caring and…" Ava roved her gaze over everything, "a little obsessive, okay, I get it but Logan and Gambit will love it." She shrugged shyly. Growing up in the sewers she never had a birthday party, she knew that's one of the reasons for this huge blow out extravaganza she's throwing for the twin's.

With a loving sigh her husband went up to her and wrapped an arm around her waist, "You're right they will love it. No matter how many times I've tried to show them the error of their ways on this Spiderman character." Kyle kissed her blonde head.

About five years ago she got rid of the pink and black streaks going for a more "normal" hairstyle. Ava owned and managed a small bookstore and café on Main Street. People in a small town tend to reject the strange and unusual, the main reason for her hair color change.

"Ok, more streamers and balloons are in those two bags." He pointed to two of the three bags that were dropped to the floor in his shock. "Now I'm off to finish wrapping presents." Kyle lightly smacked Ava on the behind and grabbed the third bag overflowing with Spiderman wrapping paper and headed in the direction of his and Ava's bedroom.

While Kyle and Ava were busy chatting Lonnie went ahead and put the cake in the fridge, when she left the kitchen Kyle was gone and Ava was digging in two bags. "So what can I help you with?"

_3:00 p.m._

The boys' birthday party was in full swing. Children and parents were in her living room, of course Rath, Liz, Alex, Lonnie, Maria, and Zan along with their combined seven children were all there and so were some of Logan and Gambit's friends from school. Unfortunately some of the children's parents were there and some parents didn't like her too much.

Not too many only three in particular. Pam Troy-Glasser, Ava beat her up her sophomore year in college for coming onto Kyle. Well, coming on was a nice way to say it; she walked into the bar he worked at wearing nothing but a trench coat and a smile. Within moments of seeing Kyle was alone she dropped the coat and was wearing only a smile.

She walked in right when Kyle was handing her, her coat like a gentleman told her to go home and sleep off whatever she drank that night. Pam didn't even have a chance to put her coat on and stumble from the bar; Ava attacked the brunette and bloodied her face up real good. She'd probably have been more rational if she hadn't been a couple months pregnant with the twins.

Another was a close friend of Pam's; her name was Victoria Reynolds. The only reason she's upset was that her friend got her ass handed to on a silver platter. The last person who didn't like her is Eric Malone, he got a double whammy, she turned him down for a date and took the free space where she now had her bookstore. Of course he screamed and shouted that she only got the space because her best friend worked at a real-estate agency.

The only reason any of them were even in her home was because her sons were friends with their children. Feeling Ava enter the room Kyle lifted his gaze toward her she's carrying in the cake. He grabbed everyone's attention and told them its time to sing happy birthday.

Setting the sugary confection down in front of Logan and Gambit she and all the guests began to sing happy birthday to the two beaming six-year-olds. As soon as the song came to an end the twin's lean forward and blow out all twelve candles. Ava had decided it would be better if both boys were able to blow out six candles, she wanted them to feel like there while celebrating their birthday's together that they were also completely separate from each other.

"Did you two make a wish?" Ava questioned, her blue eyes twinkling with glee. Seeing Gambit and Logan happy made her happy.

Logan nodded his head yes, while Gambit shook his head no. Their combined yet different actions got a laugh from the masses. Standing next to the twins Kyle began to cut the cake and handed them the first two pieces.

Ava took three slices over to Liz and Lonnie; they're chatting in the kitchen away from the majority of the noise but still close by. She handed them the cake and hoisted herself up onto the counter. "Where's Maria?" She asked, since moving to this small town she and the other blonde had gotten surprisingly close.

At first when Ava and Maria met they didn't click in anyway, eventually with their close friendship with Liz they struck a camaraderie of their own. "Oh she's over there," Lonnie pointed toward the hallway, "Talkin' with Zan and Alex."

"You really outdid yourself," Liz complimented Ava on a party well done. "It's obvious the boys are loving it."

Ava sent her a bright smile. "Thanks Liz. I'd do anything for my boys." She told her knowing both mothers would know exactly what she's talking about. Moving to Roswell and marrying Kyle Valenti were the best moves she ever made, there was no doubt in her mind.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 of 4 (Rath/Liz)**

October 31, 2010; Halloween

"Momma look," Pandora squealed with excitement. Rath bounced the little princess on his shoulders holding on tightly to her hands. She was the spitting image of her mother with long dark brown hair and expressive chocolate colored eyes, the only feature she seemed to get from Rath was his nose.

"The beautiful princess has arrived." Liz bowed much to Rath's delight. He could see down her shirt, got a good view of the twin globes that still hadn't returned to normal size after Savon's birth. "Where's Roman?" She questioned her husband of almost eight years.

"He has informed me that he is a big boy and doesn't need his Daddy's help in getting his costume on." He was proud that his son was showing some independence but he didn't think it'd be at six and a half. It was scary how fast he was growing up.

Liz reached up and lifted Pandora off the throne of her father's shoulders. "Let's get your crown on sweetie." She took her eldest daughter's hand and sat her down on the couch while she settled the crown on top of her brown curls.

Roman, the other half of their twins, came out of his room a bright smile firmly on his face. He had dressed himself without any help from his parents. His shirt was on backwards, and his pants looked to be inside out, how he buttoned and zipped them would forever remain a mystery. But nothing could wipe the grin off his full lips.

Rath knew from experience that if he tried to fix Roman's clothes he'd get upset. A few months ago he dressed for school, the result relatively the same. When he offered his assistance he glared at him and shook his head, Rath continued to push the young child but he pushed right back. Times like that he hated that the twins got their mother's and his stubborn streak.

Liz shrugged her shoulders before picking Savon up from his playpen. Her six-month-old son was dressed up in a devil costume; he made a very adorable baby devil. "I'll get Rhianna," she bounced the giggling baby on her hip as she went down the hall to her two year olds room.

Rath was taking the twins and Rhianna out trick-or-treating; this would be the first year her youngest daughter went out to get candy. The year before she was a little over a year and Liz felt she was too young. And the year before that Rhianna was two months and still dependant on her breast milk, far too young to appreciate or even remember Halloween.

Rath always had a fascination with the holiday. He never understood why people didn't get both Halloween and the day after off. Every year they decorated their house and each year they add more effects and props. This year he built a crypt to put around her blue Neon. Wasn't anything fancy just an interesting addition.

Liz smiled sweetly as she remembered the last ten years. When Max and the others left she didn't think she'd survive the sadness but as each passing day came and went and Rath became a bigger and more important part of her life Max's memory faded into the background. Till she could finally look back with fondness on their brief time together.

She didn't hate him anymore for leaving her. If anything she understood why he left, having children she knew she'd do anything for them. No matter the cost or consequence, especially if it meant saving their precious little lives.

_1 hour later_

Liz with Savon still attached to her hip pulled Rath over to the center of the room so the older children wouldn't hear. "Give me the bag."

"Honey, there's nothing in the bag. It's empty." He held open his pillowcase to satisfy her worry. "See?"

"Why am I not comforted by that? Last year the police escorted the children home while they put you in jail for throwing eggs and toilet paper on people's houses." Liz glared. The people in this small town knew Rath was a troublemaker, they couldn't contemplate why she married him or continued to stay married to him.

"That was one time babe," He slid in closer to her. "Besides I thought you liked my bad-boy ways? Turned ya on. Gotcha all hot the next morning, I don't remember leaving the room till the kids pounded on our door at noon." His wife blushed. Oh yea, he knew what got her engine revvin'.

Liz sighed. "Even so, please at least wait till after you and the kids come home?" She pleaded.

"You got it." Since he got together with Liz she'd managed to tame him somewhat. After the kids started poppin' out he slowed down a lot more but nothing could ever keep him completely caged. He vowed to stay wild—to a certain degree.

_3 hours later; Valenti Household_

Rath waited impatiently outside his friend's home, if Kyle didn't show up soon he'd go to the park where the other two were waiting, he wanted to get in some quality egg thrown' in. There were still a few of the older trick-or-treaters milling about; teenagers that were way to old to be gettin' candy. Most weren't wearing costumes, how fucked was that, at least dress up if you want candy.

The front door opened behind him. "What took you so long man?"

"Sorry, had to wait till Ava was asleep. She'd kill me if she caught me doing this." He's not ashamed to admit his wife scared him.

"Come on, Alex and Zan should be waiting for us at the park." Rath and Kyle hurry to the silent park where two figures stand around, both holding bags.

Zan noticed the other half of their egg throwin' team approach. "All right. Lay out the goodies on the ground." He ordered. "It's time to divvy up the merchandise." They had to make sure each person had an almost equal amount of projectiles.

Alex and Kyle did what he asked, although Rath hated being told what to do by Zan he eventually dumped his goodies out on the ground with the other three's stuff. "Ok, since we have forty paint ball we'll each get ten." Rath reasoned.

"And we have eight cartons of eggs, twenty-four rolls of toilet paper, and four bags of sugar to put in those special gas tanks." Alex smirked, he couldn't believe Zan talked him into being apart of this. Oh he didn't have to be persuaded much, it sounded like fun.

It took minutes to get the correct number of throwing objects in their bags but soon the delinquents were off to create chaos in the neighborhood. Rath was dead set on going after a twenty-one year old prick that tried to talk Liz into divorcing him. He saw the way the little shit looked down at him and blatantly stared at Liz. He had to be taught a lesson.

Zan was targeting a young woman that hurt Maria. The fucking bitch used to be one of the two women that would be invited into a threesome with him and Maria. Thank God he married a woman who was without a doubt his soulmate. She didn't mind other women joining their sex life as long as she got to have other men join in. At first he wasn't too keen about that but she said that if a woman was invited than a man could be too. The cunt, Jasmine was her name, spread the rumor that he slept with her behind Maria's back. Lies, all of it but it hurt his blond goddess none-the-less.

Kyle was going after the jerk, Eric Malone that hated Ava because Lonnie gave her a space he wanted. So far the ass hadn't done anything to ruin Ava's business but it'd feel good to get back at him anyway. While Alex was there to just have fun and raise some hell. No one had hurt or annoyed him and Lonnie enough to want retaliation.

_2 hours later_

"Well, well, well. Imagine our surprise when we all got a phone call from these fine officers that our husbands had vandalized three homes." Lonnie stood with her arms crossed, she wasn't mad, quite the contrary, seeing Alex locked up in a cage did wonderful things to her body and she had to hide her obvious excitement.

Liz couldn't stop smiling at Rath, she tingled with desire, he's definitely her bad boy. It wasn't until Maria elbowed her in the ribs that she shook herself out of her private fantasy. Instead of speaking to him she turned toward the officer. "We apologize for our husbands behavior. How much will their bail be?"

"Since none of the owners are pressing charges they are free to go." He told them, "But please try to keep a better leash on them in the future." He teased.

"Don't worry officer, we'll make sure they're punished." Maria smirked.

"Good." He unlocked the cell and ushered the four men out.

Rath and Zan didn't bother to seem regretful. Their women loved that they were still the bad asses they married. Kyle and Alex on the other hand didn't know how their wives would react; their faces were emotionless.

"Babe?" Kyle treaded lightly.

"We'll talk when we get home." Ava rose a pierced eyebrow. Talk, yea right, not if she had anything to say about it.

Lonnie waited till she and Alex were in her car before telling him how hot she thought it was that he was behind bars. Needless to say no one talked much that night.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of 4 (Zan/Maria)

_November25, 2010; 9:00 p.m._

"Babe, we ain't goin' to your mother's house for Thanksgiving. Last year do you remember what she served?" Zan complained.

"Of course, last year she was on a vegetarian kick. Trust me she's been off that for months." Maria assured him but he wasn't ready to give in yet.

Zan leaned back in his recliner—he never figured he'd be one for a recliner, in fact he thought they were for old fuckers named Fred that had sweater vests and slippers. When Maria bought it for him he was hurt that she hadn't known him better but told him to try it. He did and his butt has never been happier.

"I'm not cut out for that veggie lifestyle. Give me steak and not that tofu shit." The only thing he had eaten that night was the yams and mashed potatoes. Bedsprings squeak above his head, one of their kids was turning in their bed.

Zan Jr., his first born, was four and Amethyst, his only little girl, was a year and a half. Z.J. once told Maria that he thought she and Dad played video games and ate junk food after he and his sister went to bed. And during the holidays he swore that they met with the Santa, the Easter Bunny, and 'those damn greeting card' people. Doing what he had no idea but he knew they were in the house.

"Please Zan. Mom really has taken a liking to you." Maria stood up from the couch and sat on the arm of his recliner.

When she and Zan got together her mother hated him. She wasn't shy about letting him know it either. It got to the point where Maria didn't speak to Amy for almost six months, if she couldn't accept her relationship with the bad boy than they had nothing to talk about.

"Since when? Last I heard she hated me again for corrupting her precious daughter." Two months ago Amy heard from Jasmine, that fucking bitch that spread rumors about him having an affair with her behind his wife's back.

Being the concerned mother, she called the house but didn't get an answer. Needing to speak with Maria she made her way to the house, she got distracted along the way when she saw Zan heading into a motel room. Amy stopped her car in the parking lot and ran to the room he disappeared into. She didn't bother knocking just burst in. Boy did she get the surprise of her life.

Now she didn't bust in when she first got there, instead she waited long enough for Zan to get in deep so to speak so there could be no way he could talk himself out of the position he'd surely be caught in. She waited for almost a half an hour outside, at exactly the thirty-minute mark she picked the lock. Being a juvenile offender years ago had advantages, picking locks was one of them.

What she saw in that room shocked even her, a woman who had seen and done many acts of debauchery. Three bodies intimately tangled, two men grunting, chuckling, and nibbling at the body between them. But that wasn't what gave her a charge of surprise, what shocked her was seeing Maria. She was the moaning panting female sandwiched between two men.

"Mom seems to have blocked out that embarrassing memory. She hasn't brought it up for weeks." Maria argued.

"That's because she's waiting for you to let your guard down so you'll bring me by and then she'll flip out on me. No thanks, I got better things to do then be yelled at on Thanksgiving." Zan shot back. When Amy barged in on the three of them he was so scared of what the crazy mother would do his pleasure soldier deflated.

"She wouldn't do that. Are you admitting that you're afraid of my mother?" She smirked lovingly at him.

Zan stood up from his recliner. "No, I'm not saying that. Wouldn't it be better though if we went and spent Thanksgiving with Lonnie, Alex, and their kids?"

She thought about it—or gave the illusion she was taking his suggestion under consideration. "Nope. We're going to my mother's, end of story. Kyle and Ava will be there. You can shoot the breeze with them." Maria kissed him enjoying the scratch of his goatee on her chin. "If it gets too bad don't worry I'll protect you."

Zan snorted as Maria left the room. "Great. My wife is going to protect me." He rolled his eyes. "Use ta be 'Da Man' now I'm 'Da Pussy'."

_November 26, 2010; 3:00 p.m._

Zan took a long drag from his cigarette. Maria's been on his ass to quit but he knew he wouldn't, it wasn't like he would die from cancer. Although he did smoke outside since she hated the smell of the smoke in the house. Yea he was domesticated—to a certain degree.

He remembered back on the streets when people feared him. When they saw him there was a stampede to get across the street to avoid him. Every night he had a different woman in his bed, on a good night two or three. He stole cars, robbed venders, beat up anybody who glanced at him wrong. Zan was Da Man.

Now he had a minivan parked in his garage. That's right a minivan. Couldn't get anymore pussy than that. He went to school functions for kids that weren't even his, he mowed his lawn with one of those sit on your fat fuckin' ass mowers. What really got him was that he barely used his powers. Before he used them every day, hell every hour, now he did things the human way.

Despite the fact that he'd been domesticated and trained by Maria—and he let it happen, there was no conspiracy. He knew he was being trained when she said she was cold and he got out of bed to turn up the heat. Despite all that he wouldn't trade his current life for his old.

He had a beautiful wife who loved him bossiness, stubbornness and all. Two amazing children, yea he said amazing, there were no kids more amazing than his. Simple fact. A roof over his head that wasn't dripping on his head or vibrating from cars up above. An actual job that he loved and paid the bills. The positives far outweighed the negatives.

Maria peeked her head out the sliding glass door. "Honey? You coming in? Dinner's almost ready."

"I'll be right in babe."

"Ok. Oh and can you carve the turkey, Kyle's begging for you to wave your hand over it so the slices are perfect." A few years ago they told the parents, all the parents, about the aliens.

Came close to calling the men in white coats to drag them off in straight jackets. But Jim, thankfully was there and confirmed what the kids were saying. After that they still wanted to call the men in white coats but this time to cart themselves off.

"What, he can't carve it himself? Last I checked he had powers too." Zan rose his double pierced eyebrow.

"He says he wants you to do it. I guess when he tired it last he melted the turkey."

Zan stamped his cigarette out and followed Maria inside. Just another holiday with his crazy family. He wouldn't change it for the world.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 of 4 (Alex/Lonnie)**

_December 24, 2010; 1:00 p.m._

Alexander Whitman tapped furiously on his keyboard. He'd been working on a new computer program and it was far from being completed but he was on a roll today. Of course the second he was on a roll, Briony, his and Lonnie's daughter came bounding into the room demanding that her Daddy come play with her.

Being four years old she didn't have much patience. Plus she got her mothers ability to make him do whatever she wanted. That wrapped in an innocent little girl, more specifically his little girl made for a deadly combination.

Briony had long blonde hair, a little darker than Lonnie's, although not by much, his light green eyes, and chubby little cheeks that whenever she didn't get what she wanted she threatened to hold her breath forever, and they puffed out like a chipmunk.

Noting a gleam in the young girl's eyes he got curious. "What's got you so giddy?" He lifted her up and sat her on his knee.

"Nofin." She smiled up at him innocently. And if he was anybody but her father he would have fallen for it, but he'd seen that expression one to many times to know she was guilty of some mischief.

"Uh-huh." He stood from his seat and lifted her up onto his waist. Alex quickly saved his progress and left his office. He counted his blessings that his bosses let him work from home. It gave him more time to spend with his daughter.

As Alex passed a window he noticed something odd. It was snowing. It never snowed in Roswell...except those two freak storms one before the others left for Antar and another when he was just a kid. "Did you do this Bri?"

"Nope." She shook her head fast making all her long hair fly side to side. "Mommy did." She grinned and wiggled to get down, which as soon as Alex did she ran outside in the front where Lonnie danced in the falling snow.

With a smile he followed, "You know...this could cause unwanted attention." He joked.

Lonnie shrugged. "It's a freak snow fall. No harm. Weather changes and all that." She smiled and twirled around. Briony copied her movements. Alex came up behind Lon and wrapped his arms around her. In ten years he grew a few more inches till he reached six-foot. Rath and Zan had helped him transform his skinny arms into skinny muscular arms. He didn't have the body to be built like Zan or Rath but that didn't mean he couldn't gain some muscle tone.

Lon loved his physique, not bulky but strong lanky arms and legs with a bit of definition to his abs. His new body helped when Lonnie wanted a little more rough play in the bedroom. That was a side of Lonnie that he didn't know about till they dated a year and had been bed partners for a few months. There were times when she loved to be roughed up during sex, sometimes nothing as big as wanting to be spanked, but other times she wanted to be full on slapped, called names, and even fantasy raped.

At first she had been scared that he would dump her because he had never done any of those things before. Hell before her he had never had sex, but he surprised her and said he'd be willing to try. At first he was awkward but soon with her help he learned what she liked and how to do it the way she liked. "You're so beautiful." He rested his chin on her shoulder laying his cheek against hers.

"I know." She smirked.

"Mommy, Daddy. See me." She jumped into the quickly growing snow and threw the white powder up in the air. "Come play." She pleaded. For next hour the trio played in the snow making snow angels, having a snow ball fight that Briony and Lonnie won, and when it finally started to get too cold for her Lonnie went inside and made them all hot chocolate.

_8:30 p.m._

"'...Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight.'" Alex closed the book and set it on Bri's end table. Standing he leaned over and kissed her on her forehead straightening the covers.

He left the night light on and the bedroom door slightly ajar. Alex walked down the hallway and saw Lonnie sitting on the couch munching on a chocolate chip cookie. "Next year we make peanut butter cookies. These chocolate chip cookies are fuckin' sick." She dunked the cookie in the ice-cold milk that Briony set out for Santa.

"Why do you think I eat the cookies every year." When Lon didn't stop eating the cookie questioned her on it. "Are you all right?"

"Yea, I'm fine." She grabbed another cookie and nibbled on it.

Alex didn't believe her but let the matter go. "The presents are where?"

"Not yet. She's only been asleep for ten minutes." Lonnie finished the cookie and downed the milk.

"How's the issue with Zan unfolding?" Alex questioned. A couple weeks ago Zan told Lonnie he wanted the space she was being paid to sell for a client. The only problem was he wanted to pay far less than what the property was worth. Lonnie told him no which Zan didn't take too well.

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's coming together."

"What did you threaten him with?" He chuckled.

"Told him I'd tell Maria he was trying to stiff me. She'd make him pay in so many more ways than I ever could." She tossed a stray piece of hair back over her forehead. Alex wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. He knew how difficult it was to turn her brother down, she'd give him the world if she could but sometimes he asked for too much. It was a flaw in him that seemed to be in every version, from what little she remembered of their life on Antar he tended to ask for more than a person could give.

She wasn't without her own flaws as Zan would point out regularly, she hated people touching her, except for a select few, she's impatient, and absolutely despised and refused to tolerate stupid people.

A few minutes later Briony came back out of her room to see her parents snuggling on the couch. "Mommy, I'm tristy." She rubbed her eyes.

"Ok, sweetheart." Lonnie picked her up before she got a look at the empty glass and almost cookie-less plate and took her back to bed before heading to the bathroom and getting her a small glass of water. She sang Briony her favorite bedtime song till she drifted off to sleep. It was a common nightly ritual for the little girl, Alex read her a story, and she either fell asleep or pretended to be sleeping than woke up and asked for a drink of water, sometimes milk, than Lonnie would sing her baby to sleep.

"She finally asleep?" Alex glanced up from his magazine.

"Yep. Let's go get the presents and go to bed."

"This early?" He looked at the clock. Lonnie only went to bed this early when she was sick.

She nodded. "Worked too hard today. I'm tired and since Briony is going to be waking me up before the crack of dawn to open presents I want a relatively long sleep."

"Why don't you go to bed now. I'll handle the presents." He rubbed her back gently. He could not shake the feeling that something was going on with her but she wouldn't tell him. Reluctantly she agreed, gave him a kiss and went to bed.

_December 25, 2010; 4:15 a.m._

As Lonnie and Alex slept side by side cradling each other close the morning sun had only just begun to rise. There was hardly even a sliver of light in the sky when Briony slowly opened the door and peeked into her parent's bedroom. It was Christmas morning. Santa came while she was asleep in bed and left a whole bunch of presents under the tree.

Quietly she crept forward into the room, once she reached the bed she shook Lonnie awake. "Mommy. Christmas mornin'."

"Hmm," She turned a little to face the edge of the bed more. "What time is it baby?" She mumbled tiredly.

"Umm," Briony saw the clock and said the numbers. "4, 1, 7."

With her sleep induced mind it took Lonnie a moment before the time clicked. "4:17 in the morning." She cracked her eyes open and saw her daughter with a happy grin. "Give Mommy a few more minutes honey."

The grin faded in disappointment, her shoulders sagged and she mumbled "Ok." She slowly left the room and closed the bedroom door. Lonnie had a sneaking suspicion that she would not wait too long so she got as much sleep squeezed in as she could. Sure enough her little angel came back in the room no more than ten minutes later. To be honest she was surprised Briony lasted that long.

"Mommy, it's, 4, 2, 8 now. Presents."

Knowing she wouldn't get any more sleep she unwrapped herself from Alex's embrace and shuffled out of the room her t-shirt and shorts not much help against the coolness of the house. She grabbed her bathrobe from the dining room chair and eased into it. "Let Mommy get her coffee ready." As she was in the kitchen Briony asked her about Daddy.

"Let him sleep honey. We'll open stockings and then we'll wake up Daddy ok?" Satisfied she skipped off to look at the mountain of presents again.

_5:15 a.m._

At times it amazed Lonnie how different her life had become from where she grew up. No more stealing from local venders for a few pieces of fruit, no more sleeping in the dark and dank sewers, while for years the sewers were her home she didn't miss a moment of it. Stealing had become a way of life, a way that took years to break completely, she had done it for so long...ever since she had been hatched, that doing something else was foreign to her.

Alex had since gotten up and Briony was finishing opening presents. Now it was hers and Alex's turn. She'd gotten him three presents. The first was a new guitar, one he'd been eyeing for the past few months but couldn't justify buying it, so she bought it for him. The next gift was a few new computer games that he'd been gushing about. And the last present was one he couldn't return.

Alex carefully unwrapped the last gift from Lonnie. Underneath the thin green tissue paper lay a pregnancy test box, opened. "Honey? What's this?" He held up the box. It couldn't mean what he thought it meant…right?

"Well, in about seven months our new son or daughter is going to be here." She lovingly rubbed her stomach.

"A baby?" Briony's mouth formed an 'O' and her eyes lit up. "A baby." She breathed out happily.

"Is that what you weren't telling me last night?" Alex set the box on the couch and moved to sit next to her.

"Yea." Lonnie nodded. Alex hugged her close.

"This is the best Christmas ever." He kissed her on the lips conveying his happiness. "A baby, we're having another baby."

THE END...kinda

Next: LAT: They're Back: Last in the trilogy. It's now twenty years since the aliens left in Departure how will things have changed?


End file.
